Students Invited to Celebrate Roots

Nov. 10, 2012 - PRLog -- SAN ANTONIO, TX – December 23 is nationally recognized as Roots Day, a day for people to explore and celebrate their heritage.  And one local law firm is encouraging young people to take part in the celebration.

As the day falls in the midst of the holiday season – a time for family gatherings – it is an ideal time to celebrate family heritage, according to  Joseph B. De Mott, a founding partner in the immigration law firm De Mott, McChesney, Curtright, and Armendariz.  “Roots Day encourages us all to learn more about where we came from, the cultures our families came from,” he says.  “And as our country was founded on immigration, it's a great opportunity to learn about how all these cultures came together to form the America we live in today.”

For nearly ten years, De Mott and his law firm have worked to teach students about the positive impact of immigration on the United States by facilitating the San Antonio chapter of "Celebrate America", the American Immigration Council's fifth-grade writing contest.  Now, the firm is proud to announce its call for submissions for the 2012-2013 school year, with a new addition to the contest.

For the contest's local chapter, the firm will select a Junior Panel of past winners, who will join De Mott and a new panel of business, civic, and media personalities for the 2012-2013 contest.

The panels will look for the entries that best reflect the contest's theme, “Why I Am Glad America Is A Nation of Immigrants.”  The top six San Antonio-area participants will receive cash grants and prizes, and one student, selected by the Junior Panel, will receive a gift certificate to the Institute of Texan Cultures.  (In past years, local winners have also been invited to present their winning entries to newly inducted U.S. citizens, along with their families and friends, at a naturalization ceremony presided over by U.S. Federal Magistrate Judge John Primomo.)

One outstanding entrant from contests across the U.S. will be selected to attend the Council’s 16th Annual Benefit Dinner, to be held in San Francisco, California in June 2013, and to have his or her entry posted in the Congressional Record, to remain a vital part of U.S. history.

This program is open to students in San Antonio and surrounding areas who are enrolled in either public and private schools, as well as those who are home schooled (home-school submissions will be entered in the private school category). Judges will be looking for entries that are clear, concise, and creative, and that best celebrate the theme.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 21, 2012.

Entries are limited to 500 words and can be essays, poems, short stories, interviews, or the like. Each entry must meet the following requirements:

* Cover page must include student’s name, address, grade, age, school, and telephone number, and an email address.

* Proof of enrollment in the fifth grade – such as report cards, transcripts, or letter from the student’s teacher, the school principal, or the guidance counselor.

* A Release Form (available by calling Patti at 210.590.1844 or by sending an email to patricia@demottusa.com) must be signed by the participant and a parent or guardian.

All essays must be post-marked or delivered in person to:

American Immigration Council’s “Celebrate America” Call for Submissions
c/o De Mott, McChesney, Curtright & Associates - Immigration Lawyers
8930 Fourwinds Dr., Suite 106
San Antonio, TX 78239-1971

As De Mott says, “Some of the most powerful entries we've received over the years have come from students telling their own family stories, discovering their own roots.  This contest has become an opportunity for young people to honor their heritage, their place in our American familiy, and I'm proud to be a part of that.”

Background:
De Mott, McChesney, Curtright, and Armendariz, LLP is an eighteen‐lawyer law firm dedicated to practicing Immigration law exclusively. Joseph B. De Mott, the firm’s founding partner, has been practicing immigration law in San Antonio since 1976. The firm handles all types of Immigration cases including employment-based, family-based, labor certifications, all non-immigrant visas, deportation hearings, bond hearings, citizenship applications, and more.  For more information, please visit www.demottusa.com.